Bill against NEET exam unanimously passed in Tamil Nadu Assembly

Tamil Nadu Assembly again adopted anti-NEET Bill after passing it unanimously through voice vote on Tuesday. The Bill was re-introduced today to provide for admission to undergraduate courses in medicine, dentistry, Indian medicine and homeopathy on the basis of marks obtained in the qualifying examination.

The anti-NEET Bill also provides for the students of government schools to get 7.5 per cent horizontal quota in medical admission.

On February 1, Governor had returned the Bill to the Assembly Speaker M Appavu for re-consideration by the House. It was passed in the Assembly on September 13, 2021. Subsequently, chief minister M.K. Stalin announced a meeting of all parties in the Assembly to discuss future course of action. Ravi had said that the Bill was ''against interests of students specially the rural and economically poor students of the state.''

The chief minister had earlier said that the Bill to exempt NEET, passed by the Assembly, conveyed the sentiments of about 8 crore Tamil Nadu people. It is related both to the powers of the state legislature to legislate on this matter and the House's sovereignty, he said, adding, the Governor had put the Bill on hold for 142 days.

The meeting, chaired by Stalin at the Secretariat, unanimously passed a resolution to convene a special sitting of the Assembly and get that Bill adopted again and send it to the Governor to forward it to the central government to get Presidential assent. In his address, Stalin said the Governor should have immediately forwarded the Bill to the President to get his assent. However, the Governor did not do his Constitutional duty, the chief minister alleged.

Hence, Stalin said he visited Ravi on November 27, 2021 and urged him to send the Bill to the Centre. Stalin said a Supreme Court judgment that upheld NEET was cited by Raj Bhavan in a press note on return of the Bill to the government. ''That judgment is different and the Tamil Nadu Assembly's powers to enact law is different. That is why we are seeking the approval of the President to this Bill,'' he had said.

(With agency inputs)